


For the first time

by Romanparrishlynch



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-01-04 12:31:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21197711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Romanparrishlynch/pseuds/Romanparrishlynch





	1. Chapter 1

Azriel opened his eyes and lied awake in his bed . He could hear the sound of soft breathing from the woman next to him. Then he looked around to find that it was not his bed. Or his room. 

He looked at the girl lying next to him. Her face was obscured by her hair. He tried to remember the girl's name but couldn't. He didn't think he would remember it even if he had a gun pointed at him.

He gently eased out of bed so as not to wake her. The sane thing to do would be to leave before she woke up and things got awkward for the both of them. He picked up his clothes from the floor and got dressed. He looked at the girl . She was still sleeping. 

Azriel quickly made his way in the dim light. He accidentally stumbled. Fortunately she didn't wake and he left through the door. Azriel squinted in the sun trying to find out where he is. He fished his car keys out of his pocket and searched for his car. He found it and drove home. 

Azriel parked his car on the driveway of his house. He put the key in the keyhole and found it was already open. 

" Well glad you could find your way home " Cassian's voice boomed through the household as he opened the door. 

"Couldn't you atleast answer your phone? " Rhys asked as he entered. Rhys stood in the threshold of his house or at least one of his houses. 

He went to the living room to find Amren, The headmistress of blood ruby coven ,in a deep conversation with Tarquin, The king of merfolk. 

Tarquin looked adequately terrified sitting next to the little witch.

Cassian, the alpha of the bloodstone pack, was rummaging through the fridge, how typically werewolf of him . They're always hungry. 

Rhysand ,The leader of stardust vampire coven was casually leaning against the kitchen table.

Whoever said werewolves and vampires were natural enemies should definitely meet these two Azriel thought to himself. 

Cassian threw an apple at rhys which he catched with ease. 

" Take a bite, snow white" Cassian joked.

Cassian closed the refrigerator and walked over to Azriel. 

" You have no meat. " Cass said in a serious voice. 

" why weren't you answering your phone ?" Azriel turned towards Mor's voice. 

He hadn't noticed her. She looked pale just as all vampires were. She was standing in the doorway to his study. 

Belatedly, he realized he had lost his phone somewhere during the course of last night.

" I lost it " he answered. Mor raised an eyebrow at him. 

Cassian chuckled before asking " And where would you have lost it?". A question which Azriel ignored as all of them entered the study. 

Cassian probably knew exactly how Azriel had spent last night. 

Inside kallias, Thesan, Helion and Beron were already seated.

" Why are you all here? The last meeting was only three weeks ago. " Azriel changed the subject just as everyone had seated themselves in his study. 

All other conversation died out just as he asked the question.

" you didn't feel it ?" rhys asked Azriel. 

" Feel what? " Azriel was annoyed. 

This earned him a lot of curious glances. 

He hated to be centre of attention but his siren loved it. His siren practically revelled in the attention. He hated being in the dark. Everyone else knew something he didn't. 

It nagged at him. His siren nagged at him. 

Just look inside their heads .

His siren wanted to take control of the situation. He was having a hard time controlling the siren. 

" Um.. You're glowing. " Tarquin's voice broke the sirens hold on him . 

Azriel looked down at himself. He was indeed glowing. His skin looked ethereal and otherworldly. 

This was the siren. He told himself just as he always did. Sweat rolled down his forehead as he struggled with his siren.

Azriel managed to smother the siren's glow. "Someone tell me what the hell is going on. " Azriel had raised his voice.

It wasn't a request and everyone knew it. 

It was pure command and probably not the wise thing to do in a room full of Alphas. 

" Stop flashing your head lights, boy. " Amren snarled displaying a row of really sharp teeth. 

" Last night, around 10:00 we felt a shock wave. Everything supernatural went haywire. " Thesan finally spoke. Thesan was the leader of gargoyles. 

" Define haywire and who's we? " Azriel had too many questions. 

" Haywire as in claws out, fangs bared, wards blown up, involuntary shifting, and extreme aggression. " kallias answered, the frost giant clearly not happy with the situation.

" And everything with a hint of supernatural felt it. Even the latent ones. Well except for you " Cassian finished.

Azriel tried not to read too much into it. He probably thought the wave was just another one of his siren's call.

The last thing he wanted right now was everyone to think he was some special snowflake. 

His siren was already basking in the glory of being the only male siren. 

" Funny, how the siren was the only one who didn't  
feel it. " Beron, the alpha of Firestone werefox pack said clearly not finding it funny.

Azriel had always hated that foxy bastard. 

" It was a summoning, you fools. As precious as the siren thinks he is, he isn't powerful enough for a spell like that. There was a blood sacrifice involved. And it's not complete. You probably know who's the sacrificial lamb " Amren said without a hint of remorse. 

They followed her gaze to the only empty chair. 

Tamlin. 

The alpha of Greenstone pack was absent. 

Dead. Azriel corrected himself. 

There was a chorus of cursing as they realized it. Except Amren. There was no emotion on her face. 

Sometimes Azriel forgot the little witch sitting with them has lived a millienna and had seen things beyond his imagination. Sometimes he forgot he should be scared of her.

You don't have to be scared. You can take her. You could take down all of them. 

His siren's voice was alluring and tempting. 

" We need to make sure that Tamlin is indeed dead before we jump to conclusions. " Helion, the sidhe lord said in the most reasonable voice azriel has ever heard him use. 

Azriel noted the serious look didn't sit well on Helion's face. His face was made for playful grins and cunning smirks. 

" Tamlin hasn't been seen by his pack since two nights ago. I talked to his beta. Tamlin hasn't answered his phone and they couldn't track him. " Mor informed them just as she put her phone in her pocket. 

" So we're just assuming that Tamlin is dead because no one has seen him in two days and we had some sort magical malfunction. " Rhysand said to no one in particular. And cue the arguments. 

Azriel had never been one to like these meetings. But he had to host them every two months. It was one of the curses of being the only male of his species. Sirens were not pack creatures and responsibility is not a character you can see in a siren.

These meetings took place in his house because it was neutral territory. He condoned violence and his ability to calm anyone made him the best mediator. 

It was ironic. How his siren could calm anyone but is a raging fire in him. 

Azriel slipped through the door before any of them could notice his absence. He needed to find his phone. He remembered having his phone when he left the club which means he left it at the girl's house he drove from the morning. 

It would have helped him if he had remembered her name or her face. He was glad that he at least remembered her address even though he couldn't remember anything else about her. 

Azriel mentally cursed himself for being careless. 

He picked up the telephone and dialed his number. 

Full ring. No one answered.

He redialled. Just as he thought it was a lost cause the call clicked through. 

" Hello " a melodious female voice filled his ears. 

It was the sweetest voice azriel has ever heard. 

Now he understood why his siren was in her bed. 

" Umm.. Hello. Who's this? " Azriel asked. 

" you're the one who called. So, who are   
you? " the girl replied in a polite manner. Azriel wondered how he had ended up in bed with someone like her. 

" Okay lady this is my phone and I would really like to have it back. Now, if you could tell me the when and where that would be helpful. " Azriel asked impatiently .

" Azriel? " she asked. 

He groaned in frustration. He had told her his name. He never did that, not even when he his siren had overtook him. 

Gods, he was getting sloppy. 

" Yes , it's me. And I would really like my phone back. " he answered , trying to sound nonchalant. 

He was lying to himself. Just her voice was enough to wake the siren in him. She stirred something in him. He was thrilled and terrified at the thought of meeting her. 

" It's in my place" she said softly and Azriel was scared for the poor girl inviting the siren to her house without even knowing the implications of her words. He ended the call without saying anything else. 

Next thing he knew he was driving towards somewhere.towards her. He could feel the pull towards her. It was like a tether, luring him in. It felt just as strong as gravity. 

His siren was overriding him and he was barely hanging on to his sanity. She was driving him insane. Whoever she was. 

He had spent an entire night with her and he couldn't recall a single detail. And now his siren is being pulled towards her.

He wasn't a fifteen year old lovesick teenager who loses his head about some girl. 

Shit.

Alarm bells went off in Azriel's head. He needed to get a grip on his siren or else.

Azriel didn't get to finish his thoughts as he got pulled over. The situation slammed into him like a ton of bricks. He had been speeding over the limit without even realizing it. He wasn't even paying attention to the road. All he could think about was the girl. 

The girl whose name he didn't remember, whose face he couldn't recall. The girl whose voice drove him wild. 

Azriel wondered how could he have forgotten her when he was pulled to her like moth to flame. He wondered if he was the flame or the moth.

He compelled the cops to let him go. Normally Azriel tried to avoid using his power. But today he didn't have the to reassure his morals. He didn't want to . All he wanted was her. The woman who he couldn't remember. He wished he had seen her face when he left in the morning. 

Azriel stopped in front of a small house. He already knew she was inside. His siren was humming in excitement. He was still glowing. 

Azriel counted mentally from one to ten hoping to calm himself. But it was in vain.

He stepped out of the car and walked as fast he could to the girls house. His heart pounding in his Chest. 

He surveyed the house in front of him. There were two people inside. He could hear their heart beats. 

The scent of sandalwood and jasmine overpowered everything else. Azriel staggered back. He shook his head and knocked on the door. 

The door opened to reveal a girl with golden brown hair but he found himself focusing on her eyes. He found himself lost in those tiny specks of spun gold floating in her earthy brown eyes. 

" Azriel " there was it again, her voice . 

Maybe he should have let the siren out. Right now he was feeling more like a moth than the flame. 

Mate. 

The word crashed into his mind like a tidal wave. 

She was his mate. 

He had heard about mates. Seen enough of them but he never thought he would have one. He was a siren after all. He's never heard of a siren having a mate. It went against their nature. 

And if she was his mate why didn't he feel it last night. He should have felt it. 

This burning need inside him, he should have felt it last night.

Even if he was under the siren's control he would have known. Should have known. 

Azriel mind was buzzing with so many questions. 

" Do you wanna come   
in? " she asked ,the perfect picture of innocence. 

He nodded not trusting himself to answer. He went inside. 

" Please sit. I'll go get your phone. " she was gone in an instant. 

He didn't want her gone.

Damn, he didn't even ask her name. 

Azriel wondered if she felt it too.

She was going to be the death of him. His eyes roamed everywhere around the room. This place was totally different from Azriel's houses.

This was a home. 

There were books everywhere. He concentrated on his surroundings. Now that the girl was out of his sight. He could concentrate enough to pick through the different scents. 

There was particularly one scent that nagged at him. 

It was very faint. Just enough for him to make it out. 

He heard the girl's voice muffled by the walls and distant. 

Normal humans wouldn't be able to hear them. But he wasn't normal and he definitely wasn't human.

Someone was crying. 

Not her though. 

Azriel looked at the framed pictures arranged neatly. There was one that caught his attention.

It was a picture of three girls laughing. He picked it up. There it was staring right at him. 

The brown haired girl on the left of Azriel's mate was Feyre. 

He knew her to be Feyre archeron. She was dating Tamlin. He had seen her around with Tamlin. Now he recognized the scent. It was Tamlin's scent. 

He tried to recall everything he knew about Feyre.

He had never spoken to her in person. He knew she had two sisters. And judging by the girl's innocent face and kind voice, she had to be the soft hearted Elain archeron. 

Elain. He said it in his head savouring her name. 

" Elain " this time it escaped his lips.

The name just as sweet as her voice. Azriel thanked the gods that somehow he figured out her name without embarrassing himself. Elain entered the living room. He hastily put the picture back to where it was. 

" Here" Elain offered his phone . He took it from her pale thin hands.

He felt electric current running through his veins just as his fingers brushed against hers. He drew in a harsh breath. He collected himself before he did something wrong. 

" You're Feyre's   
sister." he said it suddenly to fill the silence.

" You know Feyre? " Elain asked confused. 

" Kinda. I know her boyfriend, Tamlin" what he didn't add was they didn't get along well or Tamlin could very well be dead in a ditch. 

At the mention of Tamlin's name, Elain's face lost its brightness.

" Elain, who's this? " a soft voice asked from the bottom of the stairs. He didn't hear the footsteps coming down the stairs. He was focused on the goddess in front of him. For once, his siren was in agreement with him. They both wanted her. 

Azriel some how managed to tear his gaze away from Elain. He stared at Feyre. Gone was the girl with a pretty smile. Feyre's face was puffed out from crying. Her eyes were red and swollen. Azriel could confirm what happened to Tamlin and she knew.

" This is azriel. He's a friend. " Feyre raised an eyebrow at Elain's answer.

Feyre was staring at him. He knew exactly the moment she realized what he was. Her face hardened in a second.

" Elain, why don't you make our guest a cup of tea? I'll keep him company. " Feyre said.

Elain was oblivious to the tension in the room. He smiled at Elain. 

" Tea would be lovely " Azriel forced the words out. His siren didn't want her to go. Elain smiled at him and left. He would have done anything for that smile. He would have given up everything he had for her. That thought scared him more than anything else. 

" Leave her alone " Feyre said in a low voice. 

Azriel supposed that she intended it to be threatening. He almost laughed at her. She was just a human. She could have known what he was but she was just as fragile as the rest them.

" What happened to   
Tamlin ?" he asked Feyre. She took a step back involuntarily. She wasn't prepared for this question from him. 

" Are you a member of his pack? " her voice was still low. As if she didn't want Elain to overhear them. Which meant Elain had no idea about the Immortals.

" No. I'm not a wolf. I'm looking for Tamlin. No one has seen him in two days ." he said.

" Is that why you're here? " Feyre asked, her eyebrows raised. 

" Not really " Azriel answered glancing towards the kitchen. 

" Tamlin's dead. I found his body near the river on his territory. He was drained of blood and coated in wolfsbane. There was no blood there. Someone dumped his body there." Feyre answered my question then adds in a more serious tone. " Leave her out of this. I don't care what you are. But if you hurt her, I will make you pay. " Azriel laughed aloud at her threat. 

You could just kill her. Just snap her fragile neck. Of course then Elain would hate you forever.

His siren was giving mixed signals. 

" What's funny?" Elain asked as she enters the room with a tray in her hands. She places the tray on the table and takes a seat on the couch.

" You two are going to just stand there or what? " 

" Actually, I should leave. I have meeting that I completely forgot about. I'm truly sorry about the tea. I promise I'll make up for it some other time. " Azriel apologized. 

He couldn't remember the last time he apologized to someone. He left ,giving elain a last glance.

His siren practically begged him to stay. 

That was a first. His siren usually just nagged and tempted him. This was a rare occasion. 

He needed to get as far away from her as possible.

Azriel dialed Rhysand's number as he started his car. Rhys picked up on the first ring. 

" where are you ? " Rhys's angry voice greeted him. 

" Tamlin's dead. His girlfriend confirmed it. She found his body near the river on his territory ." Azriel got straight to the point. 

The line went silent for a few seconds, then Rhys replied " we have bigger problems. "


	2. Chapter 2

" What do you mean that there is an attack on Tamlin's pack? Who attacked? How do you even know? " Azriel asked looking at Thesan, the gargoyle hair shining like molten gold in the light 

" We have our ways " Thesan supplied. 

" You flew over their territory, didn't you? But what's the need for violence? Shouldn't we help them? " Tarquin asked, enthralled by the gargoyle. 

" Well fish boy , that's to be expected. There is no one to lead the pack. I believe they will be fighting tooth and nail among themselves for that crown since they don't even have an beta. This is pack business, they won't allow intruders " Beron answered, flipping his long red hair back, his face fixed in a scowl. 

" They do have a beta, you know. I also hear he's quiet the fox. After all he's a son of an alpha isn't he? " Helion, the sidhe lord answered without missing a beat. Not a compliment. Not a pure insult either. 

The Aos sì smiled revealing his pearly whites.

" You're just saying we shouldn't do anything because it will make it easy for you to claim Tamlin's territory " Cassian quickly pointed out. Everyone looked at beron. He didn't even deny it.

" Beron, there will be no territory claiming. You do not challenge the new alpha. Whoever that is . After all, it's their own pack business, like you said." Rhysand warned beron, his teeth bared at the older male. 

Nobody liked beron but they couldn't risk killing him and having someone worse as an alpha in his place . Azriel knew his sons were just like him. Though sometimes worser than him. He cut a quick glance at Eris, beron's oldest sitting next to him. He hadn't seen him the first time. So, he must've joined them now. Or was nearby. Maybe that's what soured beron's mood. Or that's how he usually is. 

He looked around the room to find more new comers. Ander, Thesan's lover and commander, was standing near the window. Though none has joined Helion, his silver tongue was enough to get him out of any trouble. No one joined amren too he noted. But that's to be expected, since no one dared get in the witch's way. 

'Witch as if ' his siren scoffed in the back of his head but retreated as soon as it came.

Azriel knew they couldn't trust Lucien, they barely knew anything about him. All he knew was he was disowned by his family and banished from the pack. Or thats what Beron claimed .

" What happened to the wards? Are they still intact?" kallias asked in a quiet voice. Azriel sometimes forgot that kallias was in the room. He could be as unmoving as any furniture or a big lump of ice.

Which he is. 

Amren swore and a bunch of other curses rang through out the room as they realized what that would mean for the pack.

Azriel understood the sentiment. Wards were not an easy thing. It cost an arm and leg. But it needed to be done because it can ensure that none of the other supernatural can enter your territory without your permission. A problem that he didn't have deal with, Azriel mused. Since he had no territory. No pack. He just had a bunch of houses. He was lucky enough that his friends gave him some place in their territory.

" Alright let's put in a vote. To interfere or to not interfere " Cassian asked his voice all business. 

Apparently He , Cass, Rhys and Tarquin had wanted to help. Though not because they cared about tamlin but because it would stop causing too much attention. The last thing they needed was the media to get whiff of the supernatural world. 

Kallias and beron voted not to interfere. 

While Amren, and Helion remained neutral. Thesan, though knew more then he let on , was not all inclined to help us. 

But Tarquin compensated the loss with his bubbling enthusiasm. Apparently , the young merking found everything amusing. 

\---------

When tarquin said he wanted go to greenwood territory apparently he meant he wanted to go now. 

That's how Cass , him and Tarquin ended up in the backseat of the tartar with mor driving and rhysand riding shotgun. 

Though his friends gave him various looks when he returned from Elain's house. None asked him anything about it. He was grateful for that. He probably wouldn't tell them. There was a lot of things he didn't tell them. 

So he decided he wouldn't tell them about her either. The women who made his blood sing.

Azriel realized with a start that he felt a sense of peace settling over him. Not smothering but soothing. He wasn't used to this. He wasn't used to the feeling that came over him. He wasn't used to the absence of the caressing voice of his siren asking him to do things.

Terrible things. 

He welcomed the peace with open arms. He knew it was because of her. Because of Elain. The thought of her name left him feeling bereft.

He wanted to see her. 

To talk to her. 

And say what ? He had no clue what to say without making it awkward for the both of them. He didn't even know how he would react when he saw her again .

" How can you go out in the sun? " Tarquin asked looking at the vampires in the front seat. 

Such an odd question Azriel wondered. 

But then it was to be expected since the merman was only recently crowned. And the vampires were good at keeping secrets. 

Nostrus, the previous merking , tarquin's cousin had lost his life battling against a good cause. It seems young tarquin is still settling into his role as a king.

" Well we take enchanted potions that allow us to go out in the sunlight for a few hours. It gets better with age. Some vampires don't even need any potions at all. " Rhys said turning from his seat.

" How is the tribe? " Cass asked tarquin as he shifted in his seat . 

" Good" tarquin answered in a clipped voice. Maybe things weren't that good back home. 

The rest of the drive was quiet between tarquin's questions and Cassian's vague answers. As they neared the greenwood territory, Azriel wondered if Lucien would accept their help or not. Azriel may not have known him personally but he knew he was a cunning sly bastard like his father. He didn't even know if Lucien would even allow them to intervene. It would be much harder to help if they weren't even allowed in the territory. The wards wouldn't allow them in without the permission of the alpha. But currently since there is no alpha, there was a slight possibility that they could enter without any problem. Or the wards may not even be intact. There was that. 

It was when they reached the ward Azriel felt the stirring of his siren. It wasn't demanding. It was just a caress . 

Just as they suspected, only flickering essence of the ward remained. As they crossed the wards in foot, mor stiffened. 

" I smell blood " she called out. 

" Old . Few hours at least . I also smell fish. " Cassian answered peering at the blooded spot in the ground and giving tarquin a questioning look. 

" What? Can you tell who? " tarquin asked.

" No. But I can tell which way it leads to " Cassian assumed the lead and we followed.

Tamlin's territory was situated in the woods. They had buildings surrounded by trees. The whole woods was a private property belonging to tamlin's family. 

All pack structures were similar, there was a pack office to take care of the pack's official business and the pack mates lived scattered but around the pack's territory. Azriel kept his steps light as they reached the pack office. It looked abandoned. It wasn't like cassian pack he noted. Because in Cass's, the pack office was in the middle of the clearing surrounded by tiny scattered houses. There was nothing except the pack office in sight.

Azriel expected it to be a simple building. But it looked like a manor. Big, Looming. 

Empty he thought the last word. 

Like you his siren reminded him.

Not that he needed his siren to tell him that. He already knew that. 

" Should I knock? " cassian asked as he reached the door, standing next to a weary looking Rhys. Maybe it was the sun. Azriel looked at mor, who looked as fresh as a daisy. 

Well Cassian didn't need to cause the door opened to reveal a young male with a fox-like features.

Azriel knew who it was. Even though he have never seen him before. 

The scar that seemed to etch from his thick brow to his sharp jaw did nothing to mar his beauty. The red haired male was darker than his father and all his brothers too Azriel noticed . 

" I don't need your help" Lucien said , already knowing their reason, is russet eyes not knowing who to land on. 

" How would you know? We could be here to wage a war." Cassian answered. 

Though Lucien's faceseemed aloof he could sense his feelings. He was worried. 

" Can I come in? " Rhysand politely asked Lucien. When the red haired male said nothing. 

"You know what I'm going in " Rhys pushed Lucien out of the way in a rush to get in. 

" Can't handle a little sun, Rhysie " Cassian mocked Rhys as he made his way past a bewildered Lucien. Tarquin entered, then Azriel followed giving a apologetic look towards Lucien.


	3. Chapter 3.

Azriel didn't know what he was expecting when he went in. It looked like they had a welcoming party.

A beautiful girl with blonde hair and teal eyes gleaming with satisfaction was standing next to plump women with skin the color of tree bark. Ianthe and Alis, Lucien had introduced. 

" Where we expected here? " Tarquin asked Lucien . 

Tarquin eyes widened at the sight of Alis. Azriel could understand why. She was a mermaid, it was obvious. She smelled of the sea.

Cassian and mor sat side by side. While tarquin stood politely. Rhys opted to stand near the door. Azriel took his place next to a pale looking Rhysand. Well paler than usual.

" You could say that " Ianthe said her voice sultry .

Rhysand made a chocking noise at the back of his throat. 

" Ianthe is a witch. Of sorts " Lucien provided.

" She's a witch , alright " Rhys muttered in a quiet voice. 

Cassian must have heard Rhys's quiet muttering. As he turned to look at the ghastly looking male.

" Lucien, we are all friends here, aren't we?" cassian started. 

" No " Lucien replied curtly. 

" Well your wards are broken. " Cassian said as if talking about weather. 

He expected Lucien to be surprised but he didn't think Ianthe would care. 

" That can't be.They couldn't have been broken." Ianthe said to no one in particular. The concern seemed fake to him. 

" What's the fighting about? " tarquin questioned, hoping to change the subject about the wards. 

" The pack is rebelling. They don't want me to be their alpha. They don't want a fox leading the wolves . They attacked Alis, our maid at the border today" Lucien stated, wary of his position. 

" Then don't be the alpha. Step down " Azriel supplied. 

"No he can't step down, I've seen it in my visions. He is the alpha" Ianthe spoke out instead of Lucien. 

Lucien opened his mouth to say something. But closed it suddenly turning his head towards the left. 

We all followed as his russet eyes landed on a Feyre, Elain's sister , who came into the room.

Rhys shifted next to him. It was slight but Azriel didn't miss it. Nor did he miss the warning look Feyre shot at azriel.

" What's a human have to do with a pack of wolves? " Mor asked. 

" She's a friend of the pack. She has some sway within the pack members. " Ianthe answered.

Azriel could do nothing but stand still. He didn't want his friends to know that he knew her cause that would mean he have to tell them about Elain. He had no intention of doing that. 

There was blood on the sleeve of Feyre's shirt. 

" It's Alis's" she said when she noticed him looking at it. 

" Let us help Lucien " Rhysand said diplomatically. Ignoring the human. 

So Feyre turned to Lucien and some silent mesasage passed between them and she left with a nod in Alis's direction. 

" No" Lucien firmly objected as the front door closed shut. 

" I'm new here but I don't think you can restore order to your pack without having some friends or allies atleast " tarquin advised. 

" well I don't need you. Any of you. We can handle it ourselves." Lucien said with a huff of arrogance. 

" I'm sure you can but if you deny us now, we won't be there when you need us. Then are you gonna run to daddy? " Rhys said with a humorless chuckle.

Lucien went still but recovered quickly throwing a sneer in Rhys's direction. 

" If I let outsiders make pack decisions, that's not gonna win me any favours from the wolves. I'm already an outsider, the pack won't accept me as their leader if I form allegience with people who were our enemies six months ago. I understand you're trying to help , but I'm not in a position to accept your help. I meant it when I said I'll manage my pack." 

" Even if you do manage to become their alpha , you'll still need to play nice with us. You do realise the Greenwood pack are part of the conclave. So that makes you a part of the same council , which we are also a part of. So that makes us, your allies. Like it or not that makes you , our problem. "Azriel casually informed. 

"Since when did the conclave care about the pack?" Lucien growled. 

"Since you know when " rhysand said with barely controlled anger. 

"Your pack is in shambles. It's causing an unrest. The conclave isn't interested in your stupid pack politics. We are more concerned about the civilians and we do not tolerate incompetent morons. Either you take care of the mess or we'll have to intervene. " Azriel warned. 

" Is that a threat?" Lucien snarled. 

"No. Consider it a warning. Which you won't get the next time we meet." Azriel said with a smirk. 

Azriel held Lucien's eyes for emphasis. Azriel was waiting for Lucien to step out of line. He was itching for a fight. Sometimes he needed to remind them how powerful he was. Most often forgot that he was older than all of them in this room. None of them had any idea what he could really do. What he really was. 

Something changed in Lucien's eyes. Azriel noticed it. 

It was fear. 

Just then azriel realised how his siren had taken control of his thoughts. He quickly diverted his eyes and looked to the floor. 

"We should leave " Cassian said.

" Yeah. I second that " mor called out from the minibar at the corner.   
Every head in the room swiveled towards mor as she slammed the bottle down on the table. 

Lucien growled. 

"In my defense, No.. Wait... I got nothing " mor said with a wide grin, showing her sharp fangs.

Azriel rolled his eyes. 

"How uncultured. You should have left your pet outside, rhysie" Ianthe said , the last part directed at rhysand.

Rhys sneered. 

"Hey Blondie, I'm the one with a bottle. If I were you , I'd take cover " mor said with a hiss.

Ianthe face twisted in a scowl .

"You..." Ianthe choked on air. She clutched her hands to her throat. She opened and closed her mouth like a gaping fish but no sound came out.

The atmosphere turned hostile within seconds. Everyone exchanged suspicious glances. Preparing themselves against the invisible threat. 

"This is getting tedious. If the pack is not handled within a week, you'll see the conclave in action " Azriel said coldly with a nod in Lucien's direction.

Azriel released Ianthe from his siren's command with a dismissive flick of his wrist. 

The witch gaped at him.

"Next time you annoy me , I'll rip your throat out" Azriel said and turned on his heel and walked out. 

" Well that went nice. Adios , bitches " Cassian walked out with mor, followed by rhys.

" I'm not really sure what happened here. I'm new to this. But if you need any help , don't hesitate to contact me. " Tarquin extended his hand towards Lucien. 

"Get out " Lucien said exasperated.

"Yeah I'm gonna leave " tarquin walked out. 

________________________

It was nearly evening when they were returning to their own territory. 

Cassian decided he was going to run instead of travelling back with them in the tartar . Azriel knew it would only take an hour before he reached his pack by running and if he had decided to come along with them it would have been a two hour journey.

It was just him and tarquin in the back with mor and rhys in the front. It was a silent ride.

Rhys and mor wouldn't question his earlier outburst now. Not with tarquin around. Azriel was glad for the merman's presence. His siren was a raging storm inside him. Almost tearing him apart. 

His mind slowly drifted towards the honey haired girl and her sweet smiles.  
He thought how she would react to seeing him again. Or would she even remember him. Or would she remember him and want nothing to do with him . 

Pathetic his siren voiced it's opinion. He sighed inwardly.

When he reached his house, tarquin got out silently and went to varian who was waiting for him and left. 

" What was that earlier?" Rhys asked looking at azriel from the rear view mirror.

Azriel didn't know how to reply to that so he just shrugged and got out and made his way towards his house. Azriel wasn't in a mood to answer anyone's question. 

_______________________

" I heared that it was a demon " cerridwen mutters as she poured azriel another shot. 

Azriel leaned a little closer towards her "And where did you hear that?"

"Well people talk. Especially when they are drunk " she replied.

" well I'm not drunk yet. So you can pour me another " Azriel said as he placed the empty glass in front of her.

She eyed him suspiciously. " What is this really about?" She asked. 

"Is this about the girl from that night ?" she added coming to her own conclusion.

" Oooh Now this is interesting " Nuala interrupted , appearing out of thin air. 

" What about her? " Azriel asked trying to sound nonchalant. 

By the look on both their faces, he didn't do a pretty good job at that. 

" Come on . We both know she's not just some girl. We saw how you looked at her . This was different. So don't lie to us. You know what, don't lie to yourself " Nuala pointed out.

" She's definitely different. You could say that. She is after all a hunter's sister. I would advise you to approach this carefully. " cerridwen said . 

How she knew that elain's sister was a hunter, he didn't know that.

" oh " azriel feigned surprise.

" What do you know about her ?" Azriel asked instead. After all that's the real reason for the visit. He must've sounded convincing cause both of them looked at each other contemplating. 

" The girl, we know nothing . But the hunter, her sister though that's a different story. The Archeron family, I'm sure you've heard of them..." Nuala looks at Azriel questioningly .

" Of course you don't remember. They were one of the seven families. They've been after us for centuries, until your girl's father decided to quit. I think he didn't want that lifestyle for his girls. I mean there are other archerons out there too. Distant relatives. I don't think the girls know anything about it . Well except for Feyre , the youngest was attacked by a wolf and She killed it. Guess it runs in the family. She killed the red witch too. Not that i would expect you to remember. " cerridwen 

Then it struck him that's how he knew the name archeron.

" She was the one who broke Greenwood's curse. She was hailed as their saviour . She has a friend status at the pack. She and tamlin is a thing. Or was a thing. Good for her. Ooh and I heared her sister's a florist. Definitely not your type " Nuala said without pausing.

He processed that information.He didn't even know he had a type. He took what came his way. Not to mention he gets whatever he wanted. After all azriel had always liked diversity. 

" Is this seat taken ?" A sweet voice pulled him out of his thoughts. 

"No" he turned as he said. He was shocked to see a familiar face.

" Hello azriel".


	4. Chapter 4

" Hello azriel " Ianthe said as she took the seat next to him. 

"Hi" azriel said , shocked, not expecting to find her here. 

Cerridwen raised an eyebrow at him, questioningly. 

"How are you,Azriel?" Ianthe asked him. 

He shrugged. 

" I know we got off on the wrong foot. I'm sorry for yesterday. Are you in control of your siren now?" Ianthe said. 

" Whoever said that I lost control in the first place" Azriel said with a neutral face masking his irritation. He didn't want her to know that she got under his skin. There was something unsettling about her. 

"Of course. So the magical wave didn't affect you? Hmm... well it did seem to have left quite the effect on the supernaturals. It does make one wonder why?" Ianthe mused at him. 

" Well if I figure it out, I'll let you know." Azriel said. Not liking where the conversation was going . 

"So anyway why are you drinking alone at nine in the morning ?" Ianthe mused. 

"It's a hobby"

"Is the conclave looking into tamlin's murder?" Ianthe asked. 

"We are. Why do you care? I didn't know you two were that close." 

The truth was they were not looking at tamlin's murder. And he couldn't care less about it.

" There's a lot of things of you don't know about me azriel " And azriel didn't want to know any of it.

" Did you know who did this to tamlin?  
I heared a rumour that tamlin was sacrificed. So do you know anything about it?" 

Azriel thought about how much he wanted to reveal. Truth be told he didn't know who did this . So he told her the truth. 

"I don't know who did this. " 

" Not even a guess?" She asked him. 

Azriel shook his head . He remembered talking to amren about this. She had told him that tamlin might be the first victim but he was definitely not the last.   
It was a summoning spell. He particularly didn't care about tamlin but if whoever was behind this went after his friends...

He didn't want to think about this. His death could be for a completely different reason.

" The ones that I think are guilty has to be tarquin and beron. They are the ones that have a lot to gain. Besides they were right next to him. Wasn't tamlin's found on the river's edge. I mean I could be wrong but it's the start of tarquin's territory. It could completely be a coincidence. But I was never the one to believe in coincidence. " Ianthe voiced her thoughts. 

Azriel thought about it for a second. However crazy it might be. Tarquin doesn't seem like the type to kill someone. Sure he would have defended himself but azriel didn't think tarquin wouldn't kill someone let alone knew any summoning rituals. 

But he thought about how tarquin had seemed more interested in helping Lucien with his problems then focusing on tamlin's murder. Distracted them too.

Beron could have done it too. But this isn't Beron's style. If he wanted the territory he would have declared war long ago. He sighed. 

"Sorry but I should leave. I have somewhere I need to be. " Azriel stood from the stool before ianthe could object. 

He went outside. Lucky for him she didn't follow. 

Cause he knew alcohol and thinking don't go well together and she would keep hounding him about things he didn't have the answer to. He wasn't in the mood to talk to her.

He hasn't been in the mood to talk to anyone for the past decade and he didn't think it was gonna change now. He just wanted some peace and quiet. He settled for walking aimlessly through the street. 

__________________________

Few hours later Azriel found himself heading along a very familiar path, leading him away from the city and into the woods. 

Now that he knew his destination, he thought of what excuse he could give for the sudden visit. He decided he simply didn't need one for visiting his best friend . 

He followed the worn out of path to a cabin near the lake. He can sense about 14 people in the vicinity. He didn't have to search for cass. Azriel already knew where he would be and went straight to him.

" You missed the game " Cassian said as a way of greeting .

" I had more pressing matters " 

" Of course you did. " Cassian gave azriel a knowing smile. " Well I guess you are the only one who would consider gossiping at a bar a pressing matter "

" I don't gossip " Azriel said with a scoff. 

" Well then, what is it that you old ladies do when you get together? " Cassian crooned. 

" Old ladies? I'm sure the twins would just love to hear about your term of endearment " Azriel said with a smug smile. 

" No , you wouldn't dare "

"We'll just have to see "

" Any word on who might have killed tamlin?" Cassian asked him, on a serious tone. 

" I was thinking of going to amren in a bit. Do you wanna come with? " Azriel asked and soon regretted it as soon as he saw the neat stacks of paperwork on top of the desk. " I can go alone. Just tell me what to get her " 

" I'll come with you. I already have the perfect offering picked out" Cassian said. 

" Is there anything else? " cassian asked wiggling his eyebrow. 

" No?" Azriel said confused. 

He wondered if cassian knew about Elain. Wondered how Cassian would react if he knew she was Azriel's mate. Even he didn't know how to react to that. 

" No" Then he said with finality. 

" If you could wait a few minutes, I'll be done with the work. You know where the coffee is. Try to sober up. Dude seriously, you reek of alcohol "

" I'm not drunk. " Azriel muttered as he went to get the coffee. 

\-------------  
" After you m'lady" Cassian says as he opens the door for Azriel. 

Azriel rolls his eyes, having gotten used to Cassian's weird humor.

" Who's Elain? " Cassian asks as he starts the car. 

Fuck. 

He cursed himself for falling into Cassian's trap. Now he can't get away. 

" Elain who? " Azriel answered the question with another question. And he looked nonchalant. 

" Elain archeron , 25. Short, Brown hair, pale skin, Cute face. So not your type. what were you doing in her house? Wait I knew what you were doing in her house the first time. But what was so important that you had to leave from a conclave meeting to her house ? Come on Az , did you really think we wouldn't notice? " Cassian lined up the questions . He should have know this was gonna happen as soon as he got in the car. 

" Feyre " Azriel said, grasping at ideas, anything that might keep Cassian from digging. " Tamlin's girlfriend. I thought she might know something about him. Why would I worry about a human? Don't read too much into it, You'll only hurt your brain. I don't have a type and you just drove past amren's   
house"

" Shit " cassian swore as he turned the car around. 

Cassian parked in front of amren's house. 

" Go on, I'll be there in a minute. " cassian said.

Azriel got out and walked to the door. He cloaked his magic and was careful not the trip any wards.

Not like they could contain him but he liked to be on the good side of amren. And ruining her work would not achieve that. The idiot behind him didn't have the same thought though. 

Cassian was determined to break every single ward on the way to the door. Cassian grinned at azriel, even though Azriel know it had to be painful. Azriel sighed in defeat. 

" It's better than ringing the door bell. she'll be here in a second " Cassian said through laughter. Azriel jumped out of the way just in time. Amren opened the door with a scream. 

" You morons " 

" I had nothing to do with this " cassian said raising his hand in mock surrender.

" How do you even put up with him? " amren asked looking at azriel with disbelief. 

" It's my special talent " Azriel said as Cassian yelled " Because I'm irresistible " 

" Get in" Amren growled. 

Azriel settled down on the couch while cassian gave amren the jar. Azriel was curious about what was the perfect offering that Cassian brought. Azriel usually brought her some herbs. 

Amren opened the jar and smelled it.   
The smell of blood hit his nose.

Fresh blood. Of course.

This is probably why cassian is still breathing, no matter how much he seemed to annoy amren. 

" Lamb. How disappointing. I would have appreciated human. They are more useful " 

" Amren, you know my love for you shines brighter than the sun but I wouldn't break the conclave rules even for you. " cassian proclaimed dramatically while clutching his heart.

"Az, Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill this fool right this   
instant "

" Because you love me " Cassian said cheerily. While amren glared and Azriel rolled his eyes. 

" Because you don't want to be accused of murdering the alpha of the biggest pack in velaris. " Azriel thought he made a valid point but the look amren's suggested that she didn't care. 

" Why are you here? " she sneered 

" To see you, honey. We missed you so much " cassian said with a dashing smile .

Azriel wondered if cassian had a death wish.

" The spell. What is it? Who did they summon? " azriel asked as if cassian hadn't said anything .

" I can tell it's a demon higher up in the hierarchy. It is a simple summoning spell used to summon familiars. There's nothing complicated about the spell itself " amren said while cassian interrupted her with " I feel a but coming in"

Amren levelled a glare at him and continued " but the additional ingredient , Tamlin's blood had enough magic to summon something from the deep end of the pit . What the demon did for the summoner, I had no idea. Probably a play for power but there is something strange about this. Demon this powerful would have razed this town by now. Did you notice anything weird? No , it's too quiet. What does the siren in you says? " 

" Nothing. It's been quiet since I woke up. "

" Maybe they are draining the magic " Cass spoke up. 

" Aren't your wolves having trouble with their shift ?" amren asked .

Cassian nodded 

"Then no, they are not draining magic. It's almost like the opposite. Expect for you " amren said as she pointed at azriel. 

" I don't know why "Azriel supplied. 

" Maybe you found something to anchor yourself to. Like a.. " amren trailed off the sentence. 

Azriel froze.

" Like a what ?" Cassian asked 

" It's time for you to leave cassian " 

" What?? No! I am not leavi.... " 

Amren snapped her fingers and Cassian vanished. 

Azriel raised an eyebrow at her. 

" My my my! You finally found her. "

" Where's cassian? " his question was answered by the pounding on the front door. 

" He can hear us " azriel said cause he was in no way ready to have this conversation with anyone. 

" Oh please. Give me some credit. I'm not an amateur. What is she? "

" Cassian would break the door in a few minutes " Azriel said instead of answering her question.

" You need to do something before your siren decides to do things for you. Is this going to be an one sided conversation? " 

" Human " Azriel said as Cassian entered. 

" Human? Human? Elain human? You locked me out to talk about the archeron girl, seriously. I cannot believe this is happening right now. You didn't even tell this to me. But you told her." Cassian says as he looks back and forth between amren and Azriel. 

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. 

" Your mate is an Archeron? You know that family's not to be messed with. I'm intrigued to see how this one will unfold " amren grinned.

" you and Elain? She's your mate? How could you keep this from me? Dude I need to know who I'm competing with " cassian said. 

" competing for what? " Azriel asked appalled. This isn't how Azriel thought the conversation would go. 

" your love, of course" 

" Can you be serious for a few minutes, for me? " 

" You found your mate? " Rhys hollered as he entered amren's living room. 

Azriel dragged his hand down his face.

Of course cassian called him. His day could not get any worse. 

" Tell me about her now" mor said.

Azriel wished he could vanish into air. He could do it. But there's no escaping his friends. Better now than later. 

" Elain archeron. 25 years. Short. Super cute. Adorable. Brown hair. Brown eyes. Florist. Sweetest person on earth. I've talked to her by the way " cassian started. 

Azriel growled at that . He did not know how Cassian knew about her but he wished cassian would shut up before he ripped his throat out. 

" Don't give that look. You should have known better than to keep a secret from me. And she's a adorable little human. Born and raised in velaris. Oblivious to the supernatural. Unlike her sisters. Who are by the way the total badasses who you should not mess with " 

" Speaking from experience? " Rhys asked him. 

" I'm not even gonna deny that . Also we are talking Elain, not me. Even though I love to be the center of attention. Today is not my day. " cassian said gesturing towards Azriel. 

" How did you know so much about Elain, when I didn't even know her last name? Also when did you meet her? Most importantly why did you meet her? And why did you do all this " Azriel felt his anger rise even though his siren wasn't present which should have alarmed him. But he was too busy waiting for cassian to answer. 

" Okay, reduce the sparkle down a notch, Cullen. I know her because of Nesta. I met her by accident and whatever is going on with your siren, could you please control it. I'm already attracted to you but you don't have to try so hard, honey " cassian told him.

" Who is this Nesta? " mor asked 

" Just how much power are you packing ?" amren asked 

" Why is this the first time I'm hearing about you having a mate? " Rhys asked 

" I'm still coming to terms with it. So don't ask me anything. As for your question amren, I don't know the full extent of my powers. You better pray to gods that I'll never have to find out. And I don't know a Nesta " Azriel answered their question. 

"Nesta is Elain's sister and Feyre is her younger sister. You guys remember her right, at tamlin's well Lucien's pack house " cass supplied. 

"Oh, her " rhys said to himself and shook his head. 

Azriel had answered enough questions. He was done for today. 

"No. No no you are not going  
anywhere. " Mor pointed a accusatory finger at him 

" Do not vanish " Rhys ordered, though it held no power over him.

" Az, sometimes you are just so damn extra " Cassian whined 

" He can teleport and you never told me? " amren complained. 

Azriel paid them no attention . He closed his eyes and mentally placed himself in his bed. When he opened his eyes, he was where he wanted to be. 

Azriel sighed and flopped on his bed, he did not have the energy to face anything right now. His siren hasn't surfaced, which under normal circumstances would have been a good thing but right now it meant more trouble. 

Awww it seems like you missed me 

"Oh crap. " Az muttered.

Open the door 

'What the hell?' 

The doorbell rang.


	5. Chapter 5

The doorbell rang.

His siren was insistent. 

Azriel reluctantly left his bed and walked to the door.

Duck his siren said as soon as he opened his door. 

' duck? What do you mean duck? '

Duck 

A stream of fire headed straight for him and he barely had enough time to dodge it. 

The next one headed for him almost immediately and before he could duck, it caught him in the gut. Pain laced through his body. His siren manically laughed in his head. 

Azriel swore and slammed the door close. He tried to sense what attacked him. There was no scent nor a presence. Whatever attacked him was cloaked. 

You're pathetic his siren voiced. 

'And you're really helpful'

He closed his eyes and tried to sense the intruder again. 

There was a crash and the door shuddered from the impact. A second later it was ripped clear off the hinges. 

Azriel could see the outline of something larger than six foot and wings billowing behind. Definitely not a witch. 

"Which circle of hell did you crawl out of? " Azriel muttered.

It was a demon Azriel was sure now . It walked into his house as if there were no wards.

Azriel stared into the firey red eyes of the demon. It was a seven foot tall nightmare. Vaguely humanoid. Expect for the wings. Azriel didn't know if the wings were functional or merely a show. He hoped it was the latter. It's hide seemed thick. Any physical attack wouldn't do him much good. 

He sunk his power into the demon's mind. The demon staggered a few steps and grimaced.It shook it's head as if flinging off his power. 

He tried to stare down the demon. Two seconds passed and the demon took a running start. 

Shit shit Shit. 

Azriel ran to the kitchen and threw a knife at the demon. The knife hit the demon square in the chest and fell to the floor with a clang. He threw another knife and the demon caught it. Oh well . 

Azriel smirked at the challenge. He ran straight towards the demon and it threw a punch straight at him. Even from the distance, that fist looked like it could smash him. 

He dodged and went straight for its head. 

Perfect.

He locked his hands around it's head and slammed his full power into it. The demons grip tightened and went lax. He jumped to his feet and thought about what to do. 

You ruined all the fun. It's not often you get to fight a demon. Not fair. The demon could have lasted for another hour his siren whined. 

Azriel sighed and took a pan form the kitchen and hit the demon until the pan dented, while his siren cackled.

" This one's for the door " Azriel said as he hit the demon for one last time. 

Azriel dematerielized along with the demon to amren's house. He landed just in front of the coffee table and saw his friends sitting around it. He heard the satisfying sound of glass shattering and concluded that the demon had arrived.

Unconscious though. 

The shock on his friends faces made it worth it. After all he had a reputation to uphold. 

" I had a visitor " Azriel said.

Amren recovered first and sneered at azriel " You broke the damn table. Was that really necessary? "

" Maybe " Azriel replied. 

" What the hell is that? " Rhys asked

" it's a demon obviously " amren answered. 

" It looks ugly " Cassian said with a scrunched nose " it smells even worse" cassian made a gagging noise. 

" You can smell it? " azriel enquired.

" oh my god azriel , what do you mean can you smell it? It smells rotten. You can smell it from a mile away" Cassian asked incredulously. He could also see the others scrunching up their noses. 

" It was probably cloaked " Azriel said as he tried to figure out why he couldn't smell it. 

" Demons can't cloak their powers or their presence. It didn't try to kill you?" amren asked 

" Well it did throw balls of fire at me. But other than that it didn't seem all that excited about killing me. It just stood there, like it was stalling. " Azriel shrugged. He hadn't encountered many demons to know about their behaviours. Demons this caliber was rare. 

" we need somewhere to store this thing " Azriel mused.

"Dibs " cassian called out. 

" What the hell are you gonna do with that? " mor seemed outrageous .

" You seem way too excited about a demon" rhys commented. 

" is it dead?" cassian asked .

" No" Azriel answered. 

" Sweet " cassian said with a manic grin which earned him disgusted looks from amren and rhys . Mor looked at cassian like he had grown horns. 

" Amren do you know anything about it? " rhys asked pushing the demon with his foot. 

Amren who already was prodding the demon answered " It's a gaki demon. Second hierarchy. Very Powerful. Whoever summoned it must've been more powerful than the demon so as to control it. These things are hard to summon and tricky to deal with. " 

" Just what are we dealing with? A witch? " Rhys asks staring accusingly at amren. 

" What are you implying rhysand ? I'm not the only witch in velaris that can do this. If you think only witches can summon demon , then you are wrong. "

" Do you know anyone powerful enough to Summon this demon? " Azriel asked. 

"I know a total of three powerful people who can summon this demon within this town and none of them are   
stupid enough to do this " amren said . 

Not three but four . Why do they always leave us out of it. His siren crooned.

" Let's have a conclave meet" Rhys 

" Why? " Azriel asked 

" Because a gaku demon just attacked you. In your own damn house. The place where we usually have a conclave meet. So yeah we do need to have a conclave meet. Can we do the meet at my place this time? " cassian asked excited at the prospect of hosting a conclave meeting. Azriel would never understand why cass wanted to put that many hostile creatures in his house. Probably the werewolf thought it was fun.

" First of all it's a gaki demon. Not gaku. Second, we have the meet at my house because I'm a neutral party. You are not exactly neutral " Azriel said. 

" How am I not neutral? " cass said, feining hurt. 

" Do you really wanna let beron in your territory? " Azriel grasped at the only thing that came to his mind. Even he wasn't all that excited to have beron at his place.

" Well you got me there " cassian nodded thoughtfully. 

" We can have it at the Gemini, they have a soundproof room at the back which is big enough. " azriel suggested. The Gemini was a bar, owned by nuala and cerridwen, it was usually quiet during the day . 

" How do you know they have a back room which happens to be soundproofed?" Cassian asked.

" Any other questions?" Azriel continued over cassian as if he hadn't spoken.

" Isn't it too open?" Rhys wondered aloud . 

" Maybe then you'll try to be civil" Azriel shrugged.   
\-------------------------------------

Azriel and cassian dragged the demon to amren's dungeon. 

"I can't believe she didn't tell us about the dungeon " Cassian remarked . The cage, that cassian liked to call a dungeon was located in amren's basement. Azriel noticed the bars were made of iron. They put the demon in and locked it. 

" You are staying at my place tonight " cassian said to him .

"I don't need a babysitter . I'm more than capable of protecting myself" 

\-----------------------------  
Azriel pushed open the door and quickly shut it behind him.

He walked in and saw everyone was present expect beron. Apparently beron had more pressing matters to attend to. In his stead, Eris had come and was glaring at Lucien with a scowl . Lucien did his best to pretend like his brother did not exist. He took the seat next to Rhys. 

"Finally. Now that everyone's here, let's cut the chase, yesterday there was a demon attack in the siren's territory " Amren said flatly.

Azriel had to admit that their reaction was priceless. Tarquin had look of disbelief. Eris had a face that said   
' That concerns me how '. Thesan seemed doubtful. While Helion was looking at azriel with concern. 

" Hence the new venue. It was a gaki demon. We know neither it's intention nor it's origin. "

Rhys started "I think whoever's behind this might be targeting the alphas. Azriel barely survived the attack---"

A startled noise left azriel's mouth as he stared at rhys in disbelief. A laugh broke out from cassian. 

" Where is the proof ?" Eris asks .

"We have no proof. We have no proof that the demon exist. Hypothetically, if the demon did exist, we can't be sure that it was targeting the alphas. For all we know, he had done something to piss off that demon before. " Thesan said .

Cassian threw a stack of photos on the table. 

" Is this the same demon that killed tamlin? " 

" This proves nothing. " Eris said, not even bothering to look at the pictures. Azriel wanted to pummel him. He refrained himself. His siren gave him mental picture of how satisfying that would be . 

" Why are you even here? " Cass asked Eris. To which Eris shrugged. 

They argued some more which Azriel tuned out. He decided it was not worth his while. His siren seemed to agree. 

Cassian was in a heated argument with Eris and Lucien. Azriel thought he should intervene. They were getting too loud. Azriel opened his mouth to say something. But decided to leave them to their own devices. 

Azriel wondered what Elain would be doing right now. 

You could call and ask her his siren said. 

He decided to text her. He pulled his phone out and sent a text to Elain's number which got from cassian. 

'Hello' 

Azriel couldn't remember the last time he texted anyone. Sure Cassian had texted him a lot of times but Azriel never replied. Probably because his powers didn't work through text. 

Now Azriel wondered if she knew his number. He sent ' it's azriel ' just in case. 

He checked if his phone was on silent. It was. So he put it back in his pockets.He noticed the curious glances rhys kept sending him. But neither he not rhys voiced anything. Cassian and Eris were still going at it. He noticed tarquin was conversing with Thesan. 

"Can we leave now? " Azriel asked rhys, his voice was low but when you were in a room full of vampire and shape shifters it's hard not to be heard. 

"You were attacked in your own territory but you don't seem so concerned about it? It makes one wonder why." kallias asked with a questioning stare, speaking up for the first time. 

" Is that question or an accusation? " Azriel wanted to be clear before he started throwing punches. 

" What if it was? " Eris challenged him with his gaze. Azriel was more than ready to meet it. The demon didn't prove much of a fight. His siren was practically begging for some chaos. 

Eight pair of eyes turned to look at him. He could see the outrage on Cass's and Rhys's eyes. Azriel knew they would defend him if it comes to that but they would let him fight his own battles. Besides the question was directed at him.

Azriel laughed. Because he really found it hilarious. His siren wanted out and for once he didn't object. 

" Do not forget that I'm older and more powerful than you. Besides I had you in my territory for more than two centuries now and if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it ages ago." Azriel knew this wouldn't ease their minds but he didn't care. He had to give it to Eris because he held his stare even though even though he knew he was no match for Azriel. But Azriel could see the fear in his eyes. 

" Az" Rhys said it casually but it had hint of urgency to it. Azriel realized he was practically glowing white. Of course his siren had gone the extra mile. He knew without a doubt his eyes had gone white. His hands grew scales and claws. He hadn't fully shifted . He had only done this once and it was long time ago. 

Azriel looked at Eris and saw that there wasn't going to be a fight. Azriel smothered his siren's request. At this rate, his siren would probably kill someone just to prove it's power . He had grown tired of their alpha bullshit nonsense a long while ago. He noticed everyone was on the edge waiting for his next move. 

" I'm out " Azriel said and made to leave .

" Maybe you might wanna wait till you stop , you know....." Rhys trailed off, giving him a knowing glance. 

" I agree . I do not want to walk into an orgy on the way out . As amusing as that would be. Humans are still loitering around. " helion suggested with a wink. 

At this cassian howled with laughter as rhys said " I thought you'd be interested in that " 

Azriel looked around and then at himself . The glow has reduced and the scales retracted. The tension in the room turned down a notch. The alphas began to leave the room.

\--------------------------

Azriel stared at the demon face. Amren's basement was poorly lit. He had to squint. It did look like a dungeon. 

" Here we go " amren said as she lifted the sleeping curse. The demon groaned.  
Azriel looked at it and it stared back.

The eyes. 

Azriel knew that there was something wrong with the eyes. He expected rage. Gaki demons were violent . The eyes were blank . The silence beside him indicated that amren thought the same thing. 

The eyes might be the demon's but the one looking through those was something else. 

The demon smirked as it's skin started glowing and cracks formed emitting fire. Before azriel could figure out what was happening it burst from the inside out. 

\---------------


	6. Chapter 6

" Well that's impossible " Amren said as she turned around from the burning mess. 

Of course the gaki would burn into flames before they could question it. It wouldn't be his life if it was that easy. 

" There goes our only lead " Azriel stated the obvious as they made their way into Amren's living room. 

" At least now we know whoever's controlling the demon is powerful enough to navigate it through your wards "

Amren stared at him flatly. 

" I mean you are the most powerful witch in velaris and I thought no one could get through your wards unless you wanted to let them " 

"First, If you hadn't forgotten, the demon broke through your wards without you even realising it " Amren glares as she continues "and here I thought you were supposed to be the most powerful creature in this continent " 

Bitch 

" Wards aren't my speciality amren. The last time I checked it was yours considering you've been practising witchcraft since you shredded your horns eons ago. "

Azriel smirked as Amren raised a eyebrow. Neither of them made a move as they stared each other down. 

" Are you having a staring contest?" Mor asked as she watched them from the door. Azriel hoped she hadn't heard their conversation. 

" So I take that you are done interrogating the demon . Cassian was really interested about it "

" I'll let the siren explain it to  
you "amren said she gestured toward the door .

\--------------------

"I can't believe she kicked us out like that " Mor grumbled.

" It's Amren. what did you expect?" Azriel said as their arrived to the table. He looked around and they were the only ones there .

Azriel took a sip of the coffee and grimaced. He pushed the cup towards Mor . 

" How can you even drink that ?"

"Not everyone has a sweet tooth like you. "

He shrugged as he took a sip of his strawberry milkshake. 

" What happened at Amren's?" 

" The demon combusted. Spontaneously. We didn't do anything. We couldn't even get a word out of it ".

" I meant , you and Amren . You two looked like you were fighting ? " Mor asked leaning across the table. 

" It looks like it's gonna rain today" Azriel commented as he looked outside the window and saw that it was sunny.

"Wow. Subtlety, Az . Try it. It will help you. So the demon was a dead end." Mor said and paused , looking at him horror " And you broke amren's table for nothing. The table was a gift. Form me . Az, did you know how much it  
costs?"

Azriel was not feeling guilty. His house has gone through so much remodelling thanks to the conclave meetings. Modern furniture and angry alphas don't go well together. He contemplated about what to tell her. 

It's not like you know anything his siren provided much to his dislike.

" It wasn't a typical gaki demon. We think someone was trying to control it " trying was a lie. Who ever was behind this had complete control of the gaki. From his house to Amren's. Till it died. 

" Like navigating? Az , I thought demons can't be navigated . " Mor said .

Oh demons can't be navigated, can they Az ? You should know. We did it before . We could do it again. His siren provided. 

He let out a sigh and said " I don't know who did this but they are more powerful than we thought "

" Damn, Cassian's gonna be so dissapointed though. He was really excited. " Mor talked as if that's the most pressing issue right now. 

" Maybe I'll tell him that the demon escaped" 

" From Amren's dungeon? As if anyone is going to believe that. " 

" Maybe I'll just get him another one?"

" Are you gonna summon another demon because your boyfriend wants to play with it? " 

" How about I don't tell him anything and Cassian is not my boyfriend. "

" When are you gonna tell the others about the demon ? I can do it instead. I'm going over to invite them" Mor looks at him and realises that he doesn't have a clue.

" It's the summer solstice party Azriel. And I should be leaving . Do you want me to drop you off anywhere?"

"No. I'm gonna finish this "Az said as he pointed at his milkshake. 

She waved as she left. Azrirl took a look around the cafe. It was crowded. He sighed . It always happened. He noticed people trying to take subtle glances at him. 

He took out his phone to check his messages. Not that he did this often. There were a lot from cassian which he ignored because he knew what it would be. The next was from elain. 

'Hi'

Azriel blinked at his screen. Now he had no idea what to do next. Maybe he should have texted his friends for practice. Now it's too late .

He sighed and put his phone down. He picked up his drink and looked out the windows. Azriel was trying to find an answer to give the alphas about the demon's sudden combustion. He wasn't sure how they would react to it or if they would even believe that. Even more bigger problem was finding whoever's controlling that damn thing. 

His drink ran out before he had done listing his problems. He paid for it and left wondering where his feet would take him next. Maybe he should have taken his car.

He was walked back to his home. It was a long walk and it helped clear his thoughts. Not that he had gotten answer for any of his problems.  
\--------------------------  
Azriel was fixing his tie when he heard a honk. He took the flowers. 

Azriel saw Rhys waiting for him. He got in the passenger seat.

"You bought flowers?" Rhys asked in a amused voice.

"Of course I bought flowers. It's a funeral. The question is why didn't you ?" 

"I'm not going for the funeral " Was Rhys's reply and Azriel left it at that.

Five minutes. That's all it took for Rhys.  
"So is your siren ..... okay?" 

Azriel laughed at that. Wow. 

Tell him I'm doing okay

" Well, in a way"

" What happened at that conclave ?" 

" You were there too" Azriel smiled as he answered. 

" You know what I mean ?"

" What do you mean ?" Azriel really wanted to see how far he can take it .

Rhys sighed. "You shifted "

" Partially. It's not a problem. "

"You grew scales Az. It's the first time we've have ever seen it " 

" It's the first time you saw it ." 

" Who else has seen you shift? You shift in front of people ?"

" Yeah I do that. Often. At The Gemini. Every Thursday. After 11 special. It's a private show. "

Rhysand looked really offended. "Will you take it seriously?" 

" Then why don't ask the questions you want to ask?"

" Fine. Is Elain your mate ?" 

" No?" 

" Is that a question or a answer?"

" There's company "

Rhys looked annoyed but didn't say anything as we passed the gates.

" I don't know. "

" You don't know what, if Elain's your mate ? I think the mating bond would be pretty obvious. " 

" I've never heard of siren's having mates. But I'm drawn to her. I dont know why." 

" we are here . We'll continue this conversation later" Rhys announces as he parks the car. 

The pack house was filled with people he unfortunately recognized, which meant he had to greet a lot of people. 

He placed the flowers near tamlin's photo. He stood there for a few seconds, Tamlin was an asshole but he wasn't evil.

Azriel searched the crowd for cassian. He already met Tarquin and kallias. He wanted to leave this place soon. 

He finally spotted Cass talking to someone. He made his way across the room when he felt something weird.

Cass introduced him to people he didn't care about. 

Azriel was listening to Cass when his eyes wandered to Lucien or rather the person next to Lucien. It was Elain . That's why he was feeling strange. He wondered if he should approach her but noticed she was talking to Lucien. Azriel could feel Cassian smirking at him as if daring him to go to Elain.

"If you are wondering whether you should or shouldn't go, the answer is you definitely should. " Cass spoke up.

"I don't remember asking for your opinion."

" I can see it in your face. " 

" I'm gonna go get something to drink " Azriel left cassian as went to the kitchen.

"Hello azriel " It took all of azriel's self control to not teleport away right now.

" Hello" he replied curtly. 

" What are you searching for ?" Ianthe asked as she entered the kitchen. 

"Water. I need some water "

She looks confused but pointed towards the fridge. Azriel nodded and left before she could open her mouth. 

Azriel took a sip of cold water. It calmed him. 

Azriel's eyes found elain again and he had to remind himself that he was at a funeral. It was getting tiresome. He looked around for Rhys and found him talking to Elain's sister. 

Azriel walked around the place avoiding people he knew and made conversation when he couldn't avoid them. His usually chatty siren was oddly quiet now. He didn't know if that had anything to do with Elain's presence. His mind was buzzing with questions again. He moved away to the garden. The rose garden was in total contrast to the building next to it. The place seemed like it was used to be something enchanting and now it looked haunted with overgrown rose bushes and broken statues. He could still hear every voice inside the house and somehow he couldn't track Elain's voice. He was frustrated with himself and then he was weirded out that even tried to track her. 

Azriel sighed heavily. He has been doing that a lot lately. 

"Azriel " 

Azriel was startled to hear Elain's voice. He was conscious not to turn abruptly towards her. His breath was coming in uneven gasps . He wiped out the shocked expression off his face before addressing her. 

" Elain, what a surprise! " he winced at his own words. 

" what are you doing out here?" Elain asked curiously. 

" It's too crowded inside. " he replied as if he wasn't used to crowds. 

Elain smiled at him and his mood improved .

" It's so pretty, don't you think so? " Elain said sweetly as she reached to touch a rose. 

She looked so pale next to the vivid red of the roses but she seemed so in place next to the plants that had grown wild.

Azriel noticed that he had moved closer to her unconsciously. He plucked out a rose and offered it to her. 

" I think it pales in comparison to you" Azriel blurted out and then wondered what the hell was wrong with him. 

Elain smiled at him again and reached for the flower. Her fingers brushed his hands and Azriel wondered if she could feel the pull too, being a human. 

"I think you're being too obvious " A new voice interrupted their quiet moment. Azriel turned to look at Tarquin who looked curious as he stalked towards them. 

Of course someone had to come and ruin it.

" Tarquin " Azriel greeted with a nod towards Tarquin's general direction and turned back to elain. 

"I was looking for you----- oh you have company " Tarquin said as he stumbled towards them.

" I'm Tarquin. The king of Merfolk" he said with a smile and extending his arm .

"Hi. I'm elain and --" 

"And you are drunk , my friend" Helion said in a weird tone.

" Are you sure he's the only one who's drunk?" Azriel asked annoyed by their interruption. Elain looked confused, looking from one face to another. 

" Azriel, I need to talk to you. " 

" I don't azriel is available. But I am. you can talk to me. "

"How about we continue this inside?" Cassian said as he came behind them and draped his arms over both Helion and Tarquin shoulder and guided them inside. 

" But I need to talk to azriel about the... what was it about?" Azriel heard Tarquin muttering as they made their way inside. 

" King of Merfolk ? You have interesting friends" Elain said , laughing. He noticed her eyes crinkled 

"I'm so sorry about this. They are not usually like this" Azriel said obviously lying , they were so weird. 

"It was nice talking to you but I'm afraid I should probably go and find Feyre. See you next time" Elain starts walking away as she says goodbye.

" If you are free tomorrow, we could meet up for coffee. If you would like to.. If you want to? " Azriel blurted out.

" Elain! Feyre's been looking for you. " Lucien, the next interruption, called out from the door .

Azriel sighed. 

"Let's go in " Azriel said to Elain and stared at Lucien who was glaring , Azriel wasn't sure what it was about. 

Elain walked in first and Lucien guided her away. Azriel watched as she left. Maybe he shouldn't have asked her out.

Azriel watched as Tamlin's pack members left one by one until a few remained. All the alphas remained too.

Azriel took his place next to Cassian. Azriel watched the ceremony quietly. As it was ending, Eris walked up to Lucien.

"Not to steal your thunder or anything, but our father might be dead "

"What the fuck ? You waited this long to say that " Cassian said as he stood up.


End file.
